Best TV Comedy Series

Yes, Community actually aired in 2012! A full dozen episodes, in fact. And what a run of episodes they were, as the show aped Ken Burns' documentary style to tell the story of an epic pillow vs. blankets war, committed completely to a Law & Order homage and found Chang taking control of Greendale, assisted by an army of children. All this, plus an amazing journey into an 8-Bit style video game that the show dared to stay with for nearly an entire episode's length.

Community became overshadowed by its behind-the-scenes turbulence as the year continued, with series creator Dan Harmon being pushed out and Chevy Chase eventually leaving the series as well--all on the heels of a feud between the two that went public. In the midst of that, Season 4 has been delayed until February, so we haven't seen new episodes in quite awhile. Given all this, we have no idea if the show will be able to feel at all as inspired when it returns or if Harmon's departure is a void that will be tangibly felt onscreen. But looking back on 2012, Community once again stands out for being an incredibly audacious, rule-breaking and ever-funny comedy, and no matter what, we'll always have the Dan Harmon era of Community--and these final episodes of that era--to treasure.